To amend Article 5 of Law 97 - 2018, known as the “Bill of Rights of People with Down Syndrome”, in order to impose on the Department of Health the obligation to establish a permanent external clinic, aimed at providing all the necessary and indispensable services for the full care and treatment of people aged zero (0) and older, with the condition of Down Syndrome; to provide for the creation and management of a registry of people with Down Syndrome, in order for the State to maintain statistics officers and create a profile of the cases that exist in Puerto Rico with this condition; and for other related purposes.

‍To order the Puerto Rico Senate's Commission for the Development of Community Initiatives to conduct research into the functions of the “Puerto Rico Substance Use and Abuse Observatory”, attached to the Administration of Mental Health and Addiction Services (ASSMCA), the current scope of its statistical compilation and its use for public policy formulation. This legislative research must include an analysis of the need and viability of reconfiguring this program to establish a “Drug Observatory” as a multidisciplinary entity with the function of integrating, analyzing and disseminating up-to-date information on drug consumption and trafficking in Puerto Rico and related crimes in a way that allows a better understanding of this social phenomenon and contributes to the formulation and implementation of policies, decision-making, design and evaluation of programs and projects.

PRESS RELEASE

OFFICE OF THE ACTING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

The Institute of Statistics develops an initiative to document compliance with the law that makes library services accessible to people with disabilities

March 20, 2019. San Juan, Puerto Rico — The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (Institute) is carrying out an initiative to ensure that libraries at the University of Puerto Rico, as well as libraries at private universities, post-secondary education institutions and municipalities in Puerto Rico, are complying with Law No. 63, “Act to Establish Inclusive Library Services for Technological Assistance.” This law requires library services to be accessible to people with disabilities through the use of technological equipment.

The initiative, developed by the Institute, in conjunction with the Technological Assistance Program (PRATP), consists of the creation of an electronic questionnaire that each entity or municipality can access to report progress in compliance with the aforementioned law. The Institute is also responsible for data management and the possible publication of related statistics.

“Each library must select a person who is responsible for accessing the platform and providing the data relevant to compliance with Law 63. This process can be completed in approximately 30 minutes. This representative will also serve as a link between his library, the National Library of Puerto Rico, the Puerto Rico Council of Education, the Office of the Ombudsman for Persons with Disabilities of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Technological Assistance Program and the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics,” explained Dr. Oville M. Disdier, acting executive director of the Institute.

The new system will facilitate government access to collect, analyze and disseminate data describing how effective the libraries of public universities, private universities, post-secondary education institutions and municipalities in Puerto Rico have been in implementing Law No. 63, which was signed and approved on April 15, 2011.

“We urge all agencies, municipalities and universities, which must comply with this law, to access and complete the questionnaire before March 29,” said Disdier.

For questions about technical questions related to the questionnaire, entities can contact the Institute via email at cuestionario.ley63@estadisticas.pr or by calling (787) 993-3336. Also, for questions about the programmatic content of the law, you can contact the PRATP at (787) 474-9999 or by writing to pratp@pratp.upr.edu.

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Contact: Idia Martínez
Email: imartinez@upfrontpr.net
Tel: 787/603 3200

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To order the Integrated Development Commission of the Western Region of the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico to carry out a comprehensive study on the damage suffered by the structures and facilities found in the so-called “Historic, Old or Tourist Interest Zones” in the western area of Puerto Rico.

They strengthen ties between the Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico and federal agencies.

To order the Integrated Development Commission of the Western Region (Commission) of the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico to carry out a comprehensive study on the living conditions of older people after the onslaught of hurricanes Irma and María; particularly of older people who reside in the western area of Puerto Rico and who are not under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Family.